Earth kills
by pureO
Summary: Livia was Jake Griffin's apprentice on the ark. She was part of the plan to warn the citizens of the failure in the ark's system and her life was destroyed because of it.But she has an even bigger secret, and now she's being sent to the ground, along with the delinquents. Will she find her way to forgiveness and redemption? or destruction will be her final fate?-Eventual Bellamy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first The 100 fanfiction so please don't be too hard on me :( anyway hope someone likes it because I have like 20 more pages of this stuff written, but I kind of wanted to test the waters first with just a little bit of the beggining. None of the characters belong to me other than the OC.**

344- the number floated around her head as she looked uninterestedly at the thin marks she had carved on the wall, one for each day in solitary confinement.

The hours all felt the same on the windowless little cell, and as much as she was trying to fight it, she could feel her mind going insane.

"I'm Livia Rhodes- she mumbled to herself- I'm 20...I'm an engineer… I got arrested ... I'm in jail and I'm going to die soon."

She repeated those statements over and over, stroking her long brunette hair anxiously. Maybe that could keep her sane in an existence where her own voice was the only reminder that she was real.

She had stayed that way for a long time, when rushed footsteps seemed to approach the door. She didn't even flinched. Months ago a tiny glimpse of hope would have flickered in her eyes. But after all this time she had learned to accept that no one was coming for her. There was no one left she loved. So she just continued on staring at the marked wall.

It wasn't until she heard a familiar, severe voice that she realized she wasn't alone in the room. But still, she failed to make a move.

Three guards stood by the door, but only one, a middle-aged man, looked at the girl with dark stern eyes. He had a hard, stony face, and his brown hair was perfectly pulled back.

–"Livia"- He called with a harsh tone, oblivious to the lack of interest the girl showed at his sudden entrance.

-"Father"- she answered, stiffening her posture, eyes still fixed on the wall. -"Are you finally going to float me?

The words had come out cold and hurtful. Before he could attempt to say anything else, she continued-

"It took you long enough… I was starting to think you had some sort of morals. My mistake I guess. Just go ahead and do it. I don't think I can handle living in here much longer without going insane anyway." Bitterness dripped from her every word.

There was a long silence, and even though the man seemed annoyed by the remarks, he didn't respond to them.

Instead he advanced towards her daughter, signaling the other guards to wait outside and closed the door. When he was close enough, he just informed- "Livia, you won't be executed today. You're going to the ground."

-"The ground? …You mean _earth_? " Standing from her seat, she looked at her father for the first time in almost a year, puzzled

"It's not safe, everyone knows that. You can't do this" She stated in disbelief. –"On second thought, I think I'd rather go insane in here, than dying in a radiation soaked planet. But thanks for the offer"- the bitterness had turned into plain shock and outrage.

-"Are we done with the sassy remarks?" He said looking at Livia, as he grabbed her by the wrist, calmly explaining-

"I'm afraid it's not optional Livia. You will go. All of the 100 criminals are going. And so are you. Think of it as a second chance. If earth is indeed survivable, you can start over. Free"

The girl scoffed at him, a hint of entitlement on her eyes

-"So you finally ran out of air huh? Just like we told you. What is this, a group execution? I'm not even underage, like the rest of those kids..."

She waved her arm off her father's grip-"You should've killed me a long time ago dad. Like you killed them. Don't pretend that this is some noble attempt at saving me. You just want me gone so you can forget just how much blood you have on your hands."

–Her eyes threatened to fill with tears, and she feared that her broken voice would betray her. For months she had feared this reunion. Feared that she wouldn't know what to say. But now words flowed from her mouth, like verbal vomit-

"You know that I'm going to die, you just don't want the burden of doing it yourself right? Cause if you do, everyone will know exactly what kind of monster you are. Although that didn't seemed to stop you in the past."

He didn't respond this time. He just stood there paralyzed, angry and hurt. For a second he caught a glimpse of tears in her daughter's hazel eyes. He knew she was right.

His expression shifted to that of a wounded animal, but his voice remained strong and calm. Then he uttered the words he knew would hurt the most-

"I did what I had to do. You're alive because of me. I lost everything so that they spared your life."

He started to lose his composure; raising his voice as he carried on speaking

"I floated them because they left me no choice. _You_ left me no choice! I didn't write the laws, but I broke them for you. So you wouldn't die"

A tear finally rolled down her cheek, and her shattered voice muttered- "Then you should've let me die instead of them. You should've known that I would never forgive you"

"What happened to your mother, what happened to that silly little boyfriend of yours-he said with fire in his eyes- was not my fault. You brought that upon yourself, and upon them. There's just as much blood on your hands as in mine, don't forget it. You will go to earth, and that is final, not up to you or me anymore"

Livia choked a sob that was forming in her throat, understanding there was nothing she could say to change her fate. She crept towards the door, where the guards were waiting to put a wristband on her hand.

Exiting the room, and turning for a last glance of the man she thought would protect her from anything, she spoke, defeated

-"Maybe it was my fault- but I just did what I believed was right, and so did they. Can you say the same dad? You can try and pin it on me, but you pushed that button… you say you didn't had a choice but there's always a choice. I am probably going to die now, and I hope for your sake that this is a decision that you can live with. Because when I'm gone, there goes your last chance for redemption. Not that you deserve it anyway."

The disappointment in her voice was palpable, and he watched her daughter walk away, knowing he was losing the last person he loved.

Unconsciously fiddling with the zipper of her jacket, Livia looked around the dropship, nervous. Bright orange seatbelts kept her fixed in the seat. Screens on the ship flickered with the image of the chancellor giving some speech about how they had to get to some place called mount weather.

Livia chose to ignore it. The only person she disliked almost as much as her father, was the chancellor.

There were rows of people seating just like her, and she recognized a few of them. There was Monty green, who had been recruited by engineering not long before her arrest, and his best friend, Jasper. John Murphy, who was her neighbor growing up.

And almost out of sight, there was Wells, the chancellor's son.

What the hell could a guy like Wells be doing here? He was the golden boy, the poster child of the ark. Why? She wondered. He seemed to be arguing with someone, but Livia couldn't really figure who the other person was, since she couldn't see much further down the row of seats.

Some other familiar voices came to her ears. In fact there were countless excited whispers and scared voices floating around the air, and the anticipation of many was visible in their faces.

Of course everyone wanted to go to the ground, feel the sun on their faces, the rain, the air… Livia wanted it too, but she was almost certain that radiation would kill them soon enough.

She knew the real reason they were sending them down: to save time to try and fix the system failure of the ark, which was dying. She figured that they had about 3-4 months left of oxygen, maybe even 6 now that the 100 were gone. But that still wasn't enough. And that secret had cost Livia her freedom, and her family.

She felt a sting of pain, wishing that was her only secret.

Up until now she had been nothing but skeptical about the thought of going to earth, but what if it was really survivable? Then they died for nothing- she told herself, thinking about her mom.

Interrupting her train of thought, the ship started trembling and shaking, making everyone scream in fear.

–"Atmosphere"- she spoke mindlessly, and a few kids around her turned their heads to see her.

–"We're entering the atmosphere, that's why it's shaking."

She elaborated-

-"And it'll probably catch fire and we're all gonna die like squished canned food"

She stated, half joking, half hoping it wouldn't be true –

"But if you ask me, beats the hell out of melting from radiation" a couple of the kids shared some preoccupied stares, but her half-hearted attempt at a joke had been noticed by most of them, like Jasper, who only smirked in her direction.

Moments later, shouting and cheering was heard from the opposite side of the ship, voices calling –"spacewalk bandit strikes again"

Livia stretched as much as possible from her seat to figure what all the fuzz was about, and then she saw it:

Some guy had unstrapped himself from the seat, and was floating around the cabin, smiling, which inspired other 2 kids to do the same. She recognized him immediately; he was the guy who supposedly wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk, Finn Collins.

He was being scolded by a girl's voice that sounded a bit too familiar.

-"Clarke? -Livia inquired in a doubtful tone.

-"Livia?" voiced the blonde girl, expectantly, turning a wide-eyed stare at Livia, who could only see a part of her face.

So that's whom Wells was talking to, she realized.

Clarke continued–"I thought they had floated you! I- I can't believe you're ali-"

Violent trembling and shaking interrupted Clarke as the ship started plummeting to the ground, crashing the bodies of the boys who were floating on to the walls.

Screams of terror filled the air, and as they were falling to a likely dead, Livia closed her eyes and lifted her hands to her ears, muting the sounds, hoping for a quick end.

When the world stopped spinning around, Livia finally dropped her hands to her sides. There was mumbling, exclamations of relief, nervous chattering all around the ship. Far off to her right a concerned Clarke was asking someone if they were ok. In the back Monty said: "Listen- No machine hum"

-"I'm alive"- Livia whispered to herself, looking down at her hands and legs, as if she was trying to make sure she was in one piece. Seat belts unbuckling everywhere took her out of her thoughts, and she unbuckled herself out of the chair.

They had survived the drop, but it was still uncertain if the air would be breathable. Livia stood up, walked in Clarke's direction, and stooped besides her and Finn. "Is he breathing?" Clarke asked Finn, turning a scared look at the body of a kid that lay on the floor.

His silence was the confirmation of what she feared, the kid was dead.

Clarke felt a hand landing on her shoulder, and she turned around to find Livia, looking at her with gloomy eyes –"Clarke… I'm so sorry about your dad … I tried to warn people, I swear… but someone betrayed us… I'm so sorry"

–"Liv I thought they had floated you!" Clarke said wearily, hugging Livia - "How is it possible that you're still alive? But wait… you really don't know who it was? Who betrayed us?"

Livia opened her mouth to respond, but words escaped her, as all she wanted was to cry and fall apart, because finally, after almost a year of not talking to anyone, she was reunited with her friend, the only person in the world who could understand exactly what she was going through. Finally she whispered-

"My dad must've made some deal so they wouldn't float me… I have no idea how he did it. It cost him his job, though. They promoted Shumway instead. Not that my dad deserved anything. But hold on… you know who gave us up?"

Clarke was about to say something, but turning her head, she noticed everyone started rushing towards the lower level of the ship, and after delivering an uneasy glance at Livia, both girls quickly followed the crowd down the metal ladder.

Standing by the entrance of the ship, there was a good looking, black haired guy in a guard uniform, but Livia figured that couldn't be right. She knew most of the guards and she didn't remember ever seeing him patrolling around the ark. However, there was a familiarity to his face that she couldn't quite figure out.

He was about to open the door, and immediately Clarke shrieked: "We can't just open it! The air could be toxic." Livia nodded in approval of the blonde's words, though she knew they would have to find out sooner or later.

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway" the man replied harshly.

He turned to open the gate, but then a small girl with long black hair and green eyes, exclaimed-"Bellamy?"

Upon hearing the name, Clarke watched Livia's eyes lighten with recognition, but she produced no sound.

He turned his head in direction of the voice, and the green-eyed girl made her way through the crowd, approaching Bellamy slowly.

Bellamy's eyes brightened at the sight of the girl, and when she was close enough, she threw herself in his arms.

-Look how big you are!"- He exclaimed

After breaking the embrace, examining the boy, she said-"what the hell are you wearing? A guard's uniform? She sounded surprised

\- "I borrowed it to get on the drop ship"- "someone has to keep an eye on you after all" he answered, almost smiling.

Clarke and Livia had made it to the front of the crowd, and disregarding the reunion going on, Clarke inquired Bellamy- "Where's your wristband?"

"Do you mind? –The girl hissed at Clarke- I haven't seen my brother in a year"

So that _is_ Octavia Blake- Livia thought.

"Brother? - No one has a brother," A voice yelled

"That's Octavia Blake" someone else shouted- "The girl they found living on the floor!"

Octavia was furious and she charged for them, but Bellamy quickly stopped her

"Octavia no! Let's give them something else to remember you by"

"Yeah? Like what?"-She demanded

"Like being the first person on the ground," Bellamy said, smiling widely at the girl.

He proceeded to open the large metal door, and in a matter of seconds, all the darkness of the dropship was gone.

Blinding sunlight came streaming through the gate, and a fresh breeze flooded everything. Livia had imagined a million times what real air might feel like, but this had no comparison…

Octavia was the first one out of the ship, and with a victorious look on her face, she yelled: "We're back bitches" … everyone echoed the feeling, stepping out on to the ground for the first time in a 100 years. Livia threw an eager smile at Clarke, before stepping out of the ship herself.

The smell of the air was bewildering, sweet and fresh, like nothing else she had ever smelled. The feel of the grass, soft under her heavy boots, the heat of the sun on her face, the blue of the sky- everything was better than what she had ever imagined. Maybe she could get a fresh start after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the new chapter, I hope is not too much of a disappointment, I did my best to keep it interesting. **

An hour later, most teenagers where playing around, but Livia was still mesmerized by this brand new earth that seemed like a far possibility just a few hours ago.

After being stuck month after month in that horrible little room, this was paradise.

She sat on the grass, staring at some tiny wildflowers that grew randomly all across the ground, letting the sunshine fall upon her, blissfully. It was so enchanting that it took a long while before she even realized that Clarke was sitting next to her, staring at the sky.

-"It was Wells"- she said dryly.

-"What?"- Livia inquired, confused.

"I made a mistake. I told Wells everything. And he told his father. I thought I could trust him. I'm so sorry" she said faltering.

A sharp pain crossed Livia's chest and lodged in her throat. She didn't want to think about that anymore, she was so tired of feeling sad and angry... And she sighed the only words that came to her head-"We've all made mistakes. I should know that- she paused, absently pulling the grass out, and continued-They would've loved it here, you know?"

Clarke nodded in agreement.

Silence was heavy with both girls' thoughts, and then Livia noticed that Clarke was holding a piece of yellowish paper on her hands-

"What's that?" Livia asked, trying to fill the dense silence.

"A map-the blonde girl answered- "You see, they were supposed to drop us on mount weather, which is here- she said, signaling a spot on the map – But we are here"- she pointed at another spot, not too far from the first one. 20 miles maybe, Livia thought…

"Ok, so … what you want to do about it? - Livia answered. Walking 20 miles right now didn't sound very appealing, but if it had to be done, it was better to move quickly, before nightfall.

"We have to go. There are supplies there, and we have to get to them. It's our best chance of surviving"

"Ok, so let's go… but I think you'll have a harder time convincing everyone else to join us. - Livia said, hesitant.

"I know"-Clarke responded, watching with heavy eyes Wells approaching them.

-"We have problems. –The boy said preoccupied, looking at Livia- the communication system is dead. I went to the roof and there's panels missing. Seems like heat fried the wiring."

"And you're looking at me… why? –Livia snapped at him, not even bothering to sound calm.

"So Clarke told you huh? Look, what's important right now, is that we survive. And for that, we need to contact the ark. You're an engineer Livia. You should take a look"

"I'm not an engineer, I never finished training. Thanks to you, as I recall. But even if I wanted to, there's no tools or anything here I can actually work with."

Truth was, Livia could probably have found a way to help, but she was terrified she might make it worse. And the fact that she had recently learned Wells was the reason for her life being destroyed wasn't making her more prone to help either.

Wells only looked at Livia, regretful and she just contemplated him with rage in her eyes.

Clarke interjected, throwing a cold glance at Wells -"All that matters right now is getting to mount weather"

She showed them the map and continued

"See _this_ is us- And _this_ is where we need to get to survive" she informed, drawing a line between the spot where the dropship landed and mount weather.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Wells asked, impressed.

Clarke's expression shifted painfully as she clenched her jaw. Wells then realized where she had learned from, and apologetic, he whispered "your father"

"Oh cool, a map" Jasper's voice came from behind them. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer" he joked, looking at Clarke cheerfully.

Livia smirked, she had known Jasper for a while, and he was always saying that kind of things, looking all goofy with those goggles in his head. But Wells seemed less than amused by the comments, and grabbing Jasper by the arm, he pushed him backwards, grunting at him "Do you mind?"

Livia looked at Wells in shock, and exclaimed: "Wells, what the hell?" as she hurried to help the boy with the goggles to his feet. It was not like Wells to do something like this…but then again, there was so much she never thought he would've been capable of doing…

"Hey, hey, hey,!- someone said- hands off of him. He's with us." It was Murphy, accompanied by a bunch of other guys.

"Relax" Wells spoke, lifting his hand in the air "We're just trying to figure out where we are"

All of the camp got quiet, and behind Murphy, Bellamy appeared, flanked by his sister.

-"We're on the ground" Bellamy said, a grin of arrogance in his face– "Is that not good enough for you?"

"We need supplies, genius. We have to go to that mount weather place if we want to live. Or we could stay here fooling around until we die from starvation. Your choice freckles" -Livia said, in an abrasive tone.

Bellamy's face turned red with anger, but then Wells intervened

"She's right- he said- you heard my father's message. Mount weather has to be our first priority"

"Screw your father" Octavia sneered- "What, you think you're in charge? You, your princess and…the girl who gets everyone killed? That's right I know who you are…" Octavia said, leering at Livia

Chattering filled the camp, and someone said- "Wait isn't that Livia Rhodes? The daughter of the guard that floated his own wife for treason?" voices where everywhere, and Livia couldn't tell where did any came from –"it was all her fault" other kid said, pointing at her- "I hear the mother took the blame for the daughter" someone else squealed- "yeah and she had her boyfriend floated too!"

Livia's face was turning red, and she clenched her fists as she advanced towards one of the kids, preparing to punch him right in the face, until someone grabbed her and stopped her. It was Clarke, who looked impatiently into the crowd.

"That's not true, and none of that matters right now. Do you think we care who's in charge?

She asked, walking forward toward the center of the camp.

"We need to get to mount weather, not because the chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get, and the harder it'll be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a 20-mile walk, so if we want to get there before nightfall, we have to leave. Now."

"I got a better idea- Bellamy said, rejoicing- why don't you three go find it for us? Let the privileged do the work for a change"

Everyone cheered, with choruses of "yeah" and approving looks.

Livia stepped forward and said-

"And who died and made _you_ king, freckles? Last time I checked, you were a janitor. – Surprised mutterings hovered all around- that's right I know who you are too. And I was never privileged. Besides this is not about who does the work. It's about all of us surviving. We have nothing here, no food or supplies. We don't even know if we're already dying from radiation poisoning." She begged, looking at the faces of the delinquents.

"We all have to go, if we don't want to die" wells said.

"Well everybody, look at that" Murphy said, his voice filled with disdain- "the chancellor on earth" "although I think Livia here is overshadowing you Wells. You may want to go ahead and float her"

"Think that's funny?

Murphy's idea of a response was to kick Wells in the leg, hard enough to knock him to the ground. Clarke screamed and tried to help, but murphy's guys held her back, as they did with Livia, even though she hadn't made a move to help.

-"No, but that was- Murphy laughed- all right, come on" he said, readying himself to fight, as Wells difficulty got on his feet, limping.

Livia freed herself of the guys holding her, taking advantage of their distraction, and she advanced towards Murphy.

"Murphy what do you think you're doing?"

"Get out of my way Livia. Do you think he gives a shit about us? His father floated your mom, my dad, and he would've floated all of us too if he could."

"Believe me, I agree with you. But we're not murderers"

"Speak for yourself," He said, viciously.

Before Livia could say or do anything else, Finn jumped off the dropship, right in front of Murphy.

-"Kid's got only one leg. How about you wait until is a fair fight?"

Murphy didn't seem happy, but he still backed off.

A pleased Octavia looked flirtatiously at Finn and said

-"Hey, spacewalker! Rescue me next"

Finn smiled at the statement, and walked.

Livia rolled her eyes, and facing Clarke, she said- "Let's just go- If they want to stay, fine. We'll grab supplies for everyone and bring them back here."

From behind her, Finn spoke, smiling at Clarke- "So, Mount weather … When are we leaving?

-"Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food."

\- "So how are you three going to carry food for a 100 people?" Wells requested

"We'll manage" Livia answered, exasperated.

-"Actually Livia, I'm going to need you to stay"-Clarke said

"I'm not staying here, you're out of your mind" Livia argued

Clarke took Livia's arm, and dragged her, until they were far enough that the others couldn't hear.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Livia voiced, once Clarke had stopped.

"You have to stay here-Clarke said- you have to make sure they don't kill Wells. Someone has to be the voice of reason."

-"Clarke, you're seriously delusional if you think I am the voice of reason. Half these kids think I got my family floated and the other half are loyal to king Bellamy. So either way, I'm not exactly golden around here. No one's gonna listen to me. Why don't _you_ stay here with Wells, and I'll go find the supplies?"

Clarke shook her head- "Because I can't stand to be around him right now. So please, stay."

"Oh, and I can? The people I loved are gone too Clarke. He's not my favorite person right now either."

"I know. But he betrayed _me_, not you. He was _my_ best friend. I am begging you Livia, please."

Clarke's voice sounded desperate, and as much as she hated the idea of having to stay back and deal with Murphy and Bellamy, she reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, I'll stay. But I promise you nothing. Just hope this whole thing doesn't blow up in my face."

Livia and Clarke walked back to find that Jasper and Monty had joined the search party.

"Looks like I'm out." -Livia said, not too content.

"Well, we're 4 then. That'll be enough" Finn stated.

"Make it 5" Octavia said, out of nowhere, smiling at Finn.

Bellamy overheard, and clearly angry, he walked to Octavia, and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?" He grunted.

"Going for a walk" Octavia answered trying to sound casual, but walking away from her brother's grip on her shoulder.

"What an ass" Livia thought to herself, and she turned to the others to find Clarke's attention fixed on Finn's arm.

"Where you trying to take this off? The blonde teenager demanded furious, clutching the boy's arm, inspecting the wristband that looked like it'd been damaged.

"Yeah, so?" he said, unconcerned.

"So? This wristband transmits your vital signs to the ark. Take it off and they'll think you're dead!"

The boy shrugged and answered, "Should I care?"

"I don't know… Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? She said, agitated- "Cause they won't if they think we're dying" Finn didn't say anything.

But for a minute there, Livia thought she saw a spark of realization on Bellamy's eyes, and she knew that couldn't be a good thing.

Jasper, Finn, Monty and Octavia started walking towards the woods, and finally, Clarke made a move to follow them. But before she was out of hearing range, she looked at Wells with aversion and retorted -"You shouldn't have come here, Wells" _

Once Clarke and the others were gone, awkward silence fell upon Livia and Wells. Until he broke it, stating the obvious.

-"Clarke asked you to stay and baby sit me right?" an annoyed Wells asked Livia.

"Sort of. So let's keep the talk to a minimum ok? This is as aggravating to you as it is to me, believe it."

"I don't need you to look after me." He emphasized.

"And I don't want to look after you. But as much as I don't like you, I don't want them to kill you either, so it looks like we're stuck on this situation." -She said irritated -"But I'll cut you a deal. I'll go my way and you'll go yours. Just try not to pick a fight that you can't win." She offered- "They will look for every excuse to hurt you. And I know you can take care of yourself, but with that leg, you're not much use right now"

"Sounds good to me." Was his only response.

She spent a good long while exploring the surroundings, and after a while, she started to get thirsty, so she told some of the delinquents that she was going to see if she could find water.

She started wandering the woods, looking for a lake or a river, any water source that might be near by. All she found was some berries that she deemed edible, judging by her earth skills class. They tasted sweet and a bit sour at the same time, refreshing. It wasn't water, but it was better than nothing, she thought.

After she had collected a good amount of berries on the pockets of her old leather jacket, she started walking back to the dropship, feeling as light hearted as a child.

Somehow, she felt like she was getting a new start, a chance to put everything behind her.

Reaching the dropship, Livia saw Murphy and Mbege talking and sneaking looks at Wells, who was only a couple feet away from them. Upon seeing her, Murphy promptly asked- "Found any water?"

"Nope. Just berries. Want some?" She said, offering a handful to the boy.

"Sure, I guess" He said, taking them and swallowing them all at once.

To her side, Wells appeared, much to Murphy's disgrace, who only grinned in disgust, and shared a look with Mbege.

"I'm going out there to find water, Murphy, if you want to come."

Murphy smiled maliciously, glancing at the dropship.

On one side, it was carved: _"first son, first to dye"_

It wasn't hard to guess who had been the author of the note, but Wells just rolled his eyes, and walking away, he said-"you spelled `die´ wrong, geniuses"

Livia followed Wells, and when she was by his side, she said "Look, I know they seem like awful people, but Murphy's actually not so bad once you get to know him. He's just been trough a lot. You can't blame them for hating you, even if it's just because of your last name."

"I guess you're right. But I'm just trying to be helpful."

"You know Wells, I just have a question. I get it, you're Jaha's son, you want to prove yourself to him. But was it worth it to betray Clarke? The girl you love? And yes, it is that obvious that that's why you're here."

"I don't know why I did it. I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. But why are you being so nice to me right now? Aren't you supposed to hate me?"

"Let's just say that I'm not completely innocent. And I know what it's like to have other people's death on your hands, even if it's indirectly. But make no mistake, I think what you did was horrible"

"Well, for what is worth, I am sorry. I know we were never that close Livia, but I'm really sorry about your mom and, you know, him." He said, clearly upset-"You think you can forgive me?"

"No" -she mused- "Honestly, I don't think I can even forgive myself. But I do get it, so I'll try no to be too much of a bitch to you" she declared, before walking in the opposite direction.

By sundown, things had been pretty uneventful, and a grateful Livia roamed around the perimeter of the camp the 100 had started building by the dropship, trying not to talk to anyone. She had already put on a little tent on a nice fresh clearing, on the east edge of camp.

She made sure to keep an eye on Wells, even from a distance, but for now, she didn't feel like being around anyone, especially him.

From across the camp, Bellamy stood, watching over everyone, making sure things went smoothly. From time to time, his eyes went to the brunette girl who had confronted him not once, but twice today.

She had a way to get on his last nerve, and he could tell that getting her to take off her wristband wouldn't be easy.

But it had to be done, tonight. Because when Clarke and Finn got back to camp, it would be damn near impossible to get near them.

Livia sat against a tree, still munching on the berries in her pocket, fiddling with her jacket sleeves. All the way across the camp, most of the people were gather around a fire. They seemed to be cheering and clamoring.

"What is going on?" she thought to herself, standing up and walking towards everyone.

Nearing the fire, she started hearing Bellamy yelling.

The teenagers were all in line, and a girl was sitting by the fire, her arm extended, as other kid tried to remove the bracelet from her wrist. Finally, the wristband broke and fell in the fire. Satisfied, Bellamy yelled-"Who's next?"

Wells stormed in, and demanded to Bellamy-"what the hell are you doing?"

"Liberating ourselves. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're trying to get us all killed" wells said. "The communication system is dead. These wristbands are all we've got. Take them off and the ark will think we're dying. That it's not safe for them to follow"

"That's the point, chancellor" Bellamy smirked condescending. "We can take care of ourselves. Can't we?"

"Yeah!" The crowd went crazy with approving shouts

From the middle of the crowd, a voice raised. It was Livia, standing on a rock, trying to be heard in between all the cheering.

-"Hey, everyone! Listen! Let's assume we can take care of ourselves, which remains to be seen. Do you seriously don't think everyone else up there deserve a chance to come down? Never mind the council. I'm talking about families, children, farmers, workers, and doctors. Our people. Just because our families may be broken, doesn't mean we get to choose that they deserve to die."

"She says that because she's one of the privileged. But what about us?" Bellamy countered – "I can assure you, we will not get the same treatment"

"Blake, come on! Do you think I was in solitary confinement because I was such an angel? I will get the exact same treatment, or worse, once the ark comes down. That doesn't mean I want innocent's people blood on my conscience."

Wells intervened then, looking at the group of teenagers- "You think this is a game? Those aren't just our friends and our parents up there. It's our people, every one of them. I don't care what he tells you, we won't survive here on our own. And besides, if it's really safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?"

"My people are already down" Bellamy declared. Looking up, he said, "Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. _Your_ father did that"

"My father didn't write the laws," Wells observed.

"No, he enforced them," Bellamy manifested "But not here. Here there are no laws." He turned victoriously at the crowd. "Here, we do whatever the hell we want, whenever the hell we want!"

Livia felt Bellamy's eyes on her, as he added, "You don't have to like it. You can even try to stop it or change it; kill me. You know why? Whatever the hell we want"

An excited Murphy shouted, "Whatever the hell we want" to the crowd, who reverberated the feeling, chorusing the words over and over again.

Livia shook her head, powerless, and exhaled loudly. Then a heavy drop landed on the tip of her nose. She looked up, to a clouded sky. It was raining.

Livia stood there in the rain. For a moment she forgot about the ordeal that had taken place moments earlier, and she closed her eyes, feeling the pouring rain fall down on her, soaking her hair and all the dirt of the day.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. It was Bellamy.

"How do you like the rain Rhodes?" He asked.

"It's all right. How are you liking giving crappy advice to a bunch of teenagers?"

"You should give up already. In 2 days no one will be wearing those wristbands. Not even you."

"I wouldn't bet on it. I thought it was whatever the hell we wanted Blake. And I don't want to take it off."

"You'll have it nice once the rest of the people come here. But the rest of us, you can bet they will not keep their promise. They will not pardon us."

"Blake you have no idea. My dad floated my mother. Then he floated my boyfriend. And then, he put me in solitary confinement for a year. Until he decided it was time for me to die, so he sent me down here, even though by all calculations it wasn't safe to come down yet. Two people died because of me. I killed one other. Believe me, if he comes down, I'm not getting any special treatments. He doesn't give two shits about me"

"If you hate him so much, why are you so set on him coming down here in two months? Take the bracelet off, and you will never have to deal with him again. Take it off and you will truly be free, forever. You can start over."

"You don't get it freckles. Enough people have died on my account. I don't need more. Besides, he wants me death, which is why I refuse to give him the pleasure."

"What if I took it?" He asked, looking at her wrist

But before he could even attempt another move, Livia's fist crashed on his cheekbone, hard enough to make him step back, cringing in pain.

"Damn!"- Livia shrieked, shaking her sore hand. Punching someone in the face was more painful than it looked.

"You have a nice punch Rhodes." Bellamy said, rubbing his face and smiling- "But seriously, it would be easier if you just take it off. You say you want to save lives, but they didn't think twice to send us down here to die. Here, at least we don't have to follow their rules." He argued

Livia shook her head- "All that shit you're trying to pull about whatever the hell we want is a load of crap Blake. You don't get to do whatever the hell you want. There are always consequences. I don't know what you did, or why are you in such a hurry to make them think we're dead, but I'll find out" She said, leaving him alone in the rain.


	3. Chapter 3

More than an hour had passed since she went to sleep, but Livia just kept rolling around the makeshift bed, eyes closed, trying to pace her breathing to that of the other people sleeping near by, to no use.

Just as she was beginning to drift off, the noise of the tent flap opening startled her, and she heard the heavy steps of someone entering.

Of the corner of her eye, she saw him. It was Bellamy. Then she remembered the knife she had made earlier from the drop ship scrap metal, lying by her bed. Her hand wandered to the uneven floor, grabbing the long blade cautiously.

He walked towards her slow, and as he was reaching for her hand, and the wristband, she swiftly turned around pointing the knife at his neck, before he could even attempt to disconnect the bracelet.

"I don't know what the hell you think you're doing Blake, but I must tell you that it's not polite to steal people's jewelry when they're sleeping"

-"Well, I'm in luck then, cause I never cared too much for politeness, and I think we've established neither do you. –He said pointing at the bruise on his face- so now if you willingly give me the wristband, we can all go to sleep in peace" he said smirking, but a hint of fear lingered in his eyes.

"I must be mistaken, - she stated- but last time I checked, I was the one holding the knife to your neck, and not the other way around, thus, I think I make the requests here. So get the hell out of my tent, cause I'm not taking the goddamned wristband off. And I swear to god, if you don't leave right now Blake, I will slice your throat and feed you to the 100 starving teenagers out there. Get it?"

"Brave Rhodes huh? Ok, I'll leave- he said, as he walked backwards towards the entrance, holding his hands up with a condescending smile- "but Rhodes, I will have that wristband. Sooner or later"

_365 days earlier_

_-Alex, we have to do it. _

_-Livia, I don't know… I mean … I know we have to, but I'm 20 and you're 19… if we get caught, they're going to float us… _

_-We're not going to get caught. I promise. Jake said he'd take all the blame. And even if we do get caught, my dad is going to help. He has to. _

_\- He doesn't even know about the whole thing… how can you think that he'll help us? _

_\- Because my mom is with us. And he's not going to let them kill her. Not a chance. _

_-What if he can't? What then? _

_-I don't know. I guess we die. Look Alex, you don't have to do this. It's my fault. You don't have to be a part of it. But I have to do it. That failure was bad. But we still had at least 2 years of oxygen. Thanks to me it's a little more than 1 year. Maybe even less. I have to do something. But I understand if you want out. _

_\- I don't want out. I just can't live knowing that you might die. _

_-We're all going to die sometime. I might as well die doing what's right. _

_Alex didn't answer; he just squeezed her hand as they both enter the communications room. _

The morning light filtering through the thin fabric of the tent woke Livia up. The rain had stopped, and the sun shined bright on a very blue sky as Livia left her tent and start wandering around camp.

A crowd was gathered near the edge of the woods. Apparently the group that had gone in search of food was back already.

In fact, Clarke was breaking a fight between Murphy and Wells, yet again. Freaking teenage boys were a pain in the ass. She approached the crowd that had formed a semi circle around the two boys, Clarke and Bellamy. But something was missing…

"Where's the food?" Bellamy inquired impatiently.

-"We never made it to mount weather"- Finn responded, eyeing Clarke briefly, as if expecting the girl to explain the rest

Bellamy was losing his patience, and he barked at Finn-" "What the hell happened out there?"

"We were attacked."

"Attacked by what?" Wells asked.

Finn finally open his mouth again- "Not what- he said - who. Turns out that when the last man from the ground died in the ark, he wasn't the last grounder."

Clarke stepped up and started explaining- "it's true; everything we thought we knew about the ground was wrong. We're not alone. There are survivors. Good news is earth is survivable. Radiation won't kill us."

Then Finn added, finishing the thought in the blonde girl's head- "bad news are, grounders will."

Wells was looking around, searching for something, and suddenly he asked-"Where's the kid with the goggles?"

"Yeah, where's Jasper?" Livia interrupted; stunned at the fact that she took that long to realize her friend was missing.

Clarke looked at Livia intently, the way she looked at her the day her mother was floated, and even before she uttered the words, Livia knew that what she was going to say was bad

-"Jasper was hit. They took him"

Switching glances from Livia to Wells, Clarke noticed something, and grabbing Wells by the arm, she asked him- "Where's your wristband?"

He shook the girls grip off his arm, but Livia was already talking to Bellamy

"You couldn't take mine so you took his, huh Blake? -Then she turned to Clarke- It wasn't his fault. Freckles here and his loyal subjects have been making people take them off."

Clarke faced Bellamy and Murphy, fuming, and demanded:

"How many?"

Murphy's face glowed with delight as he answered

"24 and counting."

"You idiots- Clarke shouted-"Life support on the ark is failing! That's why they sent us down here, they need to know earth is survivable again and we're going to need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them, you're killing all of us!"

And as per usual, Bellamy had a response, which he barked at both Livia and Clarke-"So that's what you were rambling about yesterday… that thing about not wanting more blood on your hands… you two knew about that ark failure and didn't say anything- He then turned to face the crowd- So think about it… they kept that from us… who knows what else may they be hiding? Don't listen to them! We're stronger than you think… the princess here is one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves! That wristband on your arm, it makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore!

"Oh and what would you know about being a prisoner? You shouldn't even be here to begin with!" -Livia shouted- "Your only agenda this entire time has been not leaving Octavia alone. You don't care about anyone but yourself and your sister"

But the boy barely acknowledged her and continued -"It's not about me- he said to the crowd- "They say your crimes are forgiven. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters. Survivors. The grounders should worry about us!"

The teenagers approved with unanimous shouts of "Yeah".

It was pointless to try to make them see, Livia thought, and she walked away from the scene.

She spent the next ten minutes trying to locate Clarke, who had already put in motion what Livia had been thinking since she found out that the grounders had taken Jasper. She finally found her inside the dropship, throwing stuff inside a backpack.

"We're going to go get him, right...Jasper?" Livia begged to Clarke

"Yes, of course. Why do you think I'm packing all this stuff?"

"Ok great, but I think we should consider this, and, hear me out before you say no Clarke"

"I don't think I'm going to like this but ok, what?" she said standing still, looking at Livia skeptical.

"I think we should bring Bellamy with us. We need backup anyway" Livia heard herself say the words, and even she didn't believe it. But it was their best bet.

"I really hope you're joking. Why would we need him to come with us? And since when do you need backup? It's absurd. Besides, he wouldn't want to come either way"

"I don't need backup when I know exactly what I'm dealing with. But we know nothing about these grounders. How many are there, what kind of weapons they have… And he's got a gun."

"Bellamy's got a gun? How do you know?"

"I saw him yesterday showing it to Murphy. And I think that's how he got Wells' wristband."

"And that's how he got in the dropship...- Clarke speculated- ok yes, we have to get him to come with us. And I think I know just how… but wait… I was thinking… do you think there might be a way to reverse engineer the wristbands to communicate with the ark?"

"I guess… but we would have to take them off and then keep them working once they're off. It seems a bit tricky to do it without the proper tools or spare parts. Or running electricity. But I suppose it could be done. It wouldn't be like a phone call or something. Most likely Morse code, if we're lucky"

"Maybe you should stay and try to do that. It's our one chance to communicate with the ark"

"I'm not staying here. I can't. Jasper is my friend. And besides, I haven't done the engineering thing in a long while. I'd probably just screw things up more. But you're right we have to try. I'll tell Monty to give it a go. I think he was the most skilled student I've ever seen. He was almost at our level you know? If it can be done, he can do it"

Clarke eyes were dubious and she seemed suspicious, but she settled for what her friend had said and responded-

"Ok, go tell Monty what to do and meet me in ten at the gates. I'll go get king Bellamy" The roll of her friend's eyes almost made Livia giggle.

But before either girl could leave the dropship, Wells entered carrying a package

-"Making friends fast huh- Clarke said, staring at the wound on wells arm from the knife fight with Murphy-

"Keep that covered. It may get infected. So what's with the pack? "

-"Seatbelts, insulation…I also packed the parachute. I figured we could use it to carry jasp-

-"Thanks. Give it to Livia. You're not coming with us."- The blonde said, walking to the gates of dropship

"My leg is fine" wells insisted, following Clarke.

"It's not your leg Wells, it's you"

"You need reinforcements. I'm going"

Suddenly, Monty emerged from the stairs, and stated:

"Clarke, maybe he's right. We need him. So far no one else has volunteered"

Livia shot a meaningful stare at Livia, who sighed and told Monty

"I'm sorry Monty but you can't go. I need you to try and contact the ark. I think maybe there's a way to reverse engineer the wristbands to talk to the ark"

"But Jasper is my best friend. I have to go"

Clarke then interrupted: "Look Monty, you just figure out how to talk to the ark, and we'll bring Jasper back. Ok?"

He didn't seem very happy, but he agreed to stay.

Livia noticed that Finn had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole discussion, sitting on a corner. She turned to him, and asked him-"Hey Finn… are you ready to go?"

The boy raised his eyebrows and said-"I'm not going anywhere. And neither should any of you. That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy from three hundred feet"

He clearly was still disturbed by the occurrences of the previous day.

A wide eyed Monty looked at him in disbelief, and infuriated, he asked- "So what, we let Jasper die?"

-"That's not going to happen" Clarke answered emphatically, and turning to Finn, she said, disappointed: "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such and adventurer, but really, you're just a coward."

Finn was clearly offended by the remark, and he answered: "This is not an adventure Clarke. It's a suicide mission"

"Clarke, let's just go ok? Every minute we lose is vital."- Livia stated, leaving the dropship.

Clarke shook her head and followed Livia out.

And of course, so did Wells, to which Clarke reacted violently.

"I thought I told you that you couldn't come Wells"

Livia tried to soften the whole situation. Everything was stressful enough, without their constant fighting.

"Clarke, we need all the help we can get. Maybe we should let him come."

Clarke saw the urgency in her friend's eyes, and throwing a smug stare at Wells, she said- "You're right. We do need all the help we can get"

She strolled right at Bellamy, and Livia could only hope that he would agree to come with them. If they were going to rescue Jasper, they were going to need that gun.

Wells frowned, looking intently at Clarke, and mumbled at Livia "What the hell is she doing?"

"What needs to be done" she had zero time for more pointless bickering, and she walked to Bellamy and Clarke, leaving Wells alone.

Bellamy was reprimanding Octavia pretty loudly when Clarke reached them

-"You could've been killed Octavia"

The blonde interrupted then- "She would've been if Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out"

Instantly, Octavia asked-"Are you guys leaving? I'm coming too."

Bellamy produced a loud sigh and rolled his eyes at Octavia-"No way. Not again"

"He's right Octavia. Your leg is only going to slow us down" Clarke turned unblinking to Bellamy-"I'm here for you"

Bellamy sneered at her, but the girl continued-"I hear you have a gun"

He didn't bother to answer; he just lifted his shirt enough for the gun tucked in his pants to show.

"Good. Follow me"

The matter-of-fact tone of her voice didn't sit well with Bellamy, and he answered- "Oh yeah? And why would I do that?"

"Because you want them to follow you. And right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared"

Clarke didn't even wait for an answer, but she knew that she had pulled enough strings in the boy to make him join them.

Livia smiled to herself, walking behind her blonde friend. She knew Clarke always had a way to make people do as she wanted.

And sure enough, Bellamy followed them soon after, along with Murphy and a not to happy looking Wells.

Once inside the woods, Clarke, Livia and Wells walked ahead, Murphy and Bellamy on their tail.

Wells looked back at Bellamy and Murphy every few minutes, to the point where it was becoming unnerving to Livia. He clearly distrusted them. Eventually, he spoke in a murmur; as if he was afraid Bellamy would hear-"They're not just bullies. They're dangerous criminals, you know?"

"We're counting on it" Clarke answered, picking up her pace.

Livia stopped for a moment, eyes fixed on the boy -"You have to stop staring at them Wells. You're getting on my last nerve and I'm not in the mood to break another fight between you and them."

And without hesitation, she strolled away from him.

Murphy and Bellamy walked behind, and a confused Murphy was still wondering why they were helping the chancellor's son. Finally he came up and asked Bellamy "since when are we in the rescuing business?"

"The ark thinks little Jaha is death- Bellamy explained- and once they think that the princess and her friend are dead too, they won't come down."

Murphy smiled with delight.

"I'm getting that wristbands- Bellamy said, more to himself than to Murphy-even if I have to cut their hands to do it"

Livia had been walking alone for a while now, a bit far from the others, but still within sight. This whole thing was overwhelming for her. And Bellamy was probably conceiving a plan to get the wristbands. He did have a gun after all. Maybe him coming along wasn't such a good idea.

Clarke was ahead of everyone, Wells following her close behind. Livia was on the middle, trying her best not to interfere in either group. She needed some peace and quiet for a bit. And finally, far behind her, Bellamy and Murphy walked, reluctant to keep to the pace of the others.

He even yelled lightheartedly swinging the gun in his hand-

"Hey, hold up! What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart,"

This proved to be too much for Wells, who took a step in front of Clarke, and yelled back exasperated- "Put the gun away Bellamy!"

"Why don't you make me?" He answered, taking a step forward.

Livia's hand fell heavily on Bellamy's gun wielding arm

-"Bellamy, please stop being an ass. We're here to find Jasper… let's not make this harder than it already is ok?

Clarke's eyes were flaming with rage as she said to Bellamy:

"Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. That doesn't mean we have time to waste."

In the bat of an eye, his hand closed around Livia's wrist, and looking at the girls, he said-"As soon as you take these wristbands off, we can go"

The brunette girl's arm jolted firmly, removing his hand off her arm. She pushed him, facing the boy until there was no space in between.

Menacing, she snapped at him -

"Are we still on this Blake? Are you deaf? I thought I made myself clear last night… but maybe you're slow, so let me tell you this at a pace that you may understand: I-AM-NOT–TAKING-THE-DAMN-WRISTBAND-OFF. And now, get out of my face before I break something more than that pretty little cheekbone of yours, ok?"

Everything went silent, the tension palpable in the air. Neither Bellamy nor Livia gave ground, and for a moment, all that could be heard was both their heavy breaths, enraged.

Clarke advanced and pushed them apart-

"We're not doing this right now. We don't have time to waste. Let's go. NOW!"

"Brave princess" Bellamy started

"Hey" Finn's voice shouted from behind- "Why don't you find your own nickname?" He sneered, brushing* past Bellamy –"You call this a rescue party? We've got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me"

Livia and Bellamy stepped away from each other, not without giving each other a hateful stare before moving on.

Somehow, Livia wound up strolling along Murphy. It was less than pleasurable, but so far, he hadn't really talked. That wasn't meant to last of course.

"So I hear you floated your mother Rhodes. And your boyfriend too; I got to admit, that's low even by my standards."

"I get it Murphy. You're miserable, you're Jahas's victim. They killed your mom, and that's why you're such an idiot. You can be as bitter as you wish, that's none of my business. But do you really have to spread your misery on everyone else? Guess what, you're not the only one with a tragic story here."

A hint of shame appeared in his eyes, and they continued strolling through the forest quietly for a while. A few miles ahead, he whispered, "ok so what really happened?"

"Nothing really. I fucked it up. I tried to fix something and then I made it worse. My mom and Alex got involved. They took the blame. And here I am, when I'm the one that should've been floated."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I just wanna move on." "You know Murphy, sometimes I actually believe for a second that you have the potential to be a decent human being."

"Don't tell anyone"

"You and I were friends once, remember? When we were kids… you shouldn't be ashamed of not being completely unpleasant"

"Just because I don't hate you Rhodes, doesn't mean we're friends"

"And moment's gone. Go float yourself murphy."

For the past hour, they had been following Finn. He was a decent tracker, and he said he found blood tracks. But it had been a while since the last track she'd seen, and she started to wonder if even Finn knew where they were going.

"Hey, how do we know this is the right way?" Murphy said, giving voice to Livia's thoughts…

Blake hurried to answer with disdain-"we don't. Spacewalker here thinks he's a tracker"

"Its called cutting sign. Fourth-year earth skills, he's good," said Wells

Finn turned to them and grunted-"You want to keep it down? Or should I paint a target on your backs?" He was kneeling down near some bushes, looking for something that could guide them.

There where cut branches and the dirt seemed like it had been stepped on. And finally, there it was- bright red drops of blood, spread on a pile of rocks beneath the bushes to the right. Clarke was close to Finn, examining the drops.

Wells was clearly not happy about the closeness between the blonde teenager and Spacewalker, and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

"See?" Bellamy told him in a whisper –"You're invisible."

A loud, chilling scream pierced the clear air, unnerving.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy shouted

"Jasper" Livia answered, shooting a worried glance at Clarke.

"Now it would be a good time to take out that gun," the blonde girl stammered, looking at Bellamy.

For once, he didn't object, and taking out the gun, he led the group of teenagers as they advanced towards the sound.

They soon reached a clearing, and cautiously they entered it. The sight that was waiting for them was horrifying.

In the middle of the clearing, was Jasper, tied up to a tree, semi-conscious, moaning in pain from time to time. He was at least 8 feet high on that tree, his wound covered in some kind of leaf.

It was a sorrowful sight, and even Murphy seemed astounded at the cruelty of the scene.

Bellamy whispered-"What the hell is this?"

Livia and Clarke started walking to the tree, determined to help Jasper, with Bellamy following them close behind.

-"I'm going to try and climb the tree"- Livia stated, and took a step forward.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed beneath her feet, into a pit of thorns and spikes. A stinging pain stabbed her in the leg, as she waited for the fall.

But she stood there, suspended in the air, and looking up, she found Bellamy holding her by the arm. He promptly pulled her out of the hole, much to her surprise.

Her hazel eyes were bright with astonishment and shock, fixed on the boy, which made him clearly uneasy. He seemed as stunned at his actions as she was. She noticed she must have been staring, so her only words before looking away were a half muttered "Thank you"

Clarke rushed to the aid of her friend, helping her to stand up, along with Murphy.

-"Are you ok? You're bleeding."

-It's just a scratch, don't worry- Livia said, staring at the bloodstain on her pants. – "Let's just go get Jasper so we can get out of here"

With a nod of agreement, Clarke turned to the others and urged them- "We have to get him down. Now"

"I'll climb up and cut down the vines," Finn declared, taking out a knife.

"I'll help you" Wells offered, only to be turned down.

"No- Finn exhorted, pointing at Bellamy- Stay here and watch him."

"You-he said to Murphy- Lets go"

Murphy glanced over at Bellamy, uncertain to follow Finn, but Bellamy nodded in agreement.

"What is that on his chest?" Livia asked

"A poultice" Clarke replied- "Medicine"

"Medicine? – Wells repeated- why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?"

"Maybe whatever they're trying to catch likes its dinner to be breathing." Bellamy ventured

"They're trying to catch us" Livia said, convinced.

The teenagers' faces darkened. They all knew it was true.

Getting jasper down from the tree turned out to be a harder job than it looked, and despite their best efforts, it was taking them a while to manage to rescue their friend.

-"Be careful" Clarke begged. She sounded uneasy, nervous.

Livia was getting restless as well, and a feeling of impending danger stalked her.

But that wasn't the only thing stalking them.

An eerie growl echoed across the woods. Everyone looked around, searching the source of the sound.

Murphy's voice claimed-"What the hell was that?"

"Grounders?" Bellamy suggested.

Nervous glances were exchanged amongst the group, but no one answered. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Clarke's eyes wandered around the clearing, and soon she recognized it.

A black panther was hiding in the shrubs, crouching.

In a matter of seconds, the animal started galloping to the group of teenagers'.

Clarke's scream reverberated on Livia's ears, loudly- "Bellamy! GUN!"

Bellamy desperately searched for the gun in the back of his pants, to find nothing. Livia stood in front of him, throwing him a confused glance. Panic ensued, and then, came the gunshot.

Wells was wielding the gun, pointed at the huge jungle cat, still smoking.

Another shot fired, this time finding it's way into the thick fur of the black cat, but failing to be lethal. The third one didn't reach the beast, who presumably lied wounded on the shrubs, just a few feet from Bellamy.

Livia's eyes searched the branches for signs of movement, and then she spotted it. The black fur coat of the cat moving, readying to jump on Bellamy.

"Bellamy! Watch out!" Livia screamed as she pushed the boy backwards, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

Simultaneously, the last gunshot resonated, followed by the heavy drop of the panther in the ground, before it could reach Livia or Bellamy.

Wells kept franticly pushing the trigger, even though there were no more bullets left, eyes bewildered, breathing heavily.

Clarke was staring at him in awe, which Bellamy noticed. Turning to Wells, he stated, shocked-

"_Now_ she sees you"


	4. Chapter 4

**It took forever but I finally updated! Hope someone likes the new chapter :P**

The moaning had gone on non-stop, for days on end. It was almost unbearable, but even more unbearable to Livia was the fact that there was nothing she could do for her friend.

She had gone to find him, and that was about the whole extent of what her abilities allowed her. Clarke was doing everything she could to save him, but it was getting harder by the minute.

She paced around the room, chewing nervously on her fingernails

"Livia for the love of god could you stop walking around? You're making me nervous and I can't think straight… We need medicine- she told Livia- Real medicine. I'm running out of ideas. We need to contact the ark."

"Has Monty made any progress?" She asked hopefully

"Nope. But you should go and help him."

"I don't know if I should."

"You do. You were one of the best young engineers. My dad told me that once. He said you and Alex were the best. Go help him, please. If we want to survive this earth, we're going to need the ark."

"Ok but I can't promise you anything. It's like the stone age down here."

Monty was sitting across the room, on the cold floor of the dropship, focused intently on a pile of wires, trying to get one of the bracelets to work. Octavia was sitting by him, throwing occasional glances at Jasper, who was moaning somewhat loudly across the room.

Octavia barely acknowledged her presence, concentrated as she was on jasper, and Monty didn't even seemed to know what was going around him. He always got that way when he worked. That's how he got to be so good.

"Hi Monty" Livia whispered, kneeling besides the boy "Any luck?"

The gasp that came out of his mouth proved that he hadn't seen her come, and sighing, he just mouthed "Nope"

"You're trying the bracelets huh? I guess they die as soon as they are off. We need a way to keep them running"

"Yeah- the boy said- but it's harder than it seems. There's not many left, between Murphy and Bellamy, and the ones we've tried- he said, turning his head to Octavia- have all died as soon as they're off- he seemed disappointed in himself, but then he continued-"I came close with the last one. It stayed on for a little while, but then same thing happened."

"Try again- Livia smiled at him-Try mine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes- she offered him her arm- we have nothing to lose."

"Ok" the boy hesitated, but he still grabbed her wrist. As careful as possible, he removed the wristband, which snapped in a quick motion, with a painful sting.

"Shit, that hurts" She exclaimed, rubbing her exposed wrist, in the same spot where the wristband had been. The device hadn't died yet, and they looked at each other hopeful. But a few seconds later, the spark on the bracelet started to fade, until it finally died completely.

"Well, that was fast. We need spare parts. Something that powers the bracelets once they're off. But there's nothing here but dirt and trees. Damn earth is useless. Gorgeous but useless."

Monty tried to respond, but his voice was overpowered by the wails coming from Jasper.

"Clarke thinks he's septic. Whatever that means. Doesn't sound good" He said, hinting at his friend with a sad look in his eyes.

"It means his blood is infected because of the wound." Livia responded- "I'm so sorry Monty."

On the other side of the room, a worried Clarke was talking to Finn- "I don't understand… the grounders cauterized the wound. Saved his life"

"Yeah, so they could string him up for live bait" the boy answered.

"Garden of Eden this ain't"

The blonde girl felt defeated, and craving for a little bit of hope, she turned to Livia and Monty, and asked – "Any progress on using the wristbands for contacting the ark?" Neither of them answered, knowing that they couldn't deliver the answer she was hoping for. "Guys!"

"That would be a firm no," Monty answered begrudgingly

Clarke seem despaired, and staring blankly at them, she said-"My mother would know what to do"

"I know" Livia whispered in response.

Wells entered the room in that very moment, and approached Clarke "How's he doing?"

Clarke did nothing to hide her disgust, and spat at him "How does it look like he's doing Wells?"

"Hey I'm just trying to help."

Livia's patience was running out, so she snapped at them-"Oh my god! enough with the fighting you two! We have enough with Jasper's screams. We don't need more noise!"

Clarke sighed, realizing her friend was right. She turned to Wells -"All right. You want to help? Hold him down"

He threw a confused look at Clarke, but he did as she said.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Livia was looking at her friend, who was taking a knife in her hands and placing the blade in a fire that burned next to her.

Her only answer came in a gesture that pointed Livia to Jasper's shoulder.

"You take the left – and staring at Finn she said -and you the right."

"Clarke, I can't-" Livia started, but the blonde interrupted. "Yes you can. Just hold him down. You can look away if you want"

Livia walked towards Jasper, not without hesitation. Wounds and blood made her uneasy, but that was the way it'd be from now on, she guessed, so she'd better get used to it sooner than later.

Monty's fragile voice floated through the room "I'm not going to like this, am I?

_You're reading my thoughts Monty_, Livia said to herself.

The blade shimmered red, and Livia simultaneously pushed Jasper shoulder down as hard as she could, and turned her face to the metallic walls of the ship, where there was no fiery knifes. Unfortunately, she still had ears, and the second the blade touched Jasper's skin, a prolonged, ear shattering cry filled the air, and the boy started kicking and moving, making all the more difficult not to look.

"Hold him still" Clarke screamed at the three teenagers. Livia fought her discomfort and turned to look at Clarke, pressing as hard as she could on Jasper's shoulder. "I need to cut away the infected flesh," Clarke muttered, almost talking to herself.

Octavia, who had been strangely quiet through all of this, ran to Jasper's side and told Clarke "Stop it! You're killing him"

"She's trying to save him" Finn retorted

"She can't" said a deep man's voice coming from the hatch. Bellamy.

"Of course. King Bellamy has to supervise everything." Livia told to the boy, who caught the disdain in her voice and rolled his eyes.

Wells didn't wait for anything else to happen, and facing Bellamy he said "Back off"

Clarke then spoke "We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die."

"Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making everyone crazy"

That was too much for Clarke, who barked at him- "I'm sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you, but this isn't the ark. Down here, every life matters!"

"Take a look at him, - he prompted- he's a lost cause."

Everyone knew, or at least suspected that he was right. The frail teenage boy was dying, and that was undeniable. His face was waxy and yellowish, and his feverish moaning was proof enough that he'd die if they didn't find medicine soon.

Clarke tried to ignore Bellamy's statement, even though she had doubts about jasper's survival herself. Instead she said softly to Octavia "I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope"

"This isn't about hope, it's about guts, and -Bellamy interjected- you don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days, if he's not better by tomorrow I'll kill him myself." He walked to the hatch and before exiting; he shouted, "Octavia let's go"

Octavia looked at her brother with an iron stare, and said, "I'm staying here"

Bellamy admitted his defeat to his sister's will, and he left.

Monty's eyes followed Bellamy as he abandoned the ship, and he uttered-"Power-hungry, self-serving jackass- He doesn't care about anyone but himself" but realizing Octavia was still in the room, he added in her direction- "No offense"

"Yeah, Bellamy is all that- Finn said, glancing solemnly at Clarke- but he also happens to be right"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

_"__So, want to go get something to eat? We could sit by the window and watch the stars. I heard there was a meteor shower later." _

_Alex was staring at her, wide-eyed, his golden brown hair flickering under the electric lights._

_"__We can't- she responded, placing her arms around his neck, and playfully kissing his cheek. - I have to check on the oxygen system. Jake told me to check the levels. I think there might be a failure. This freaking ship is old as hell. It's probably simple though. Maybe I can fix it myself. If you come and help, I'll be done twice as fast, and we can go get that dinner. How about that?"_

_"__Oh come on. We'll fix it later"- He said. Lifting her and spinning her around, as she giggled_

_"__I can't lose this job… come on, it'll only be a couple of minutes" she dragged him by the arm and he smiled, faking an annoyed look_

_"__Fine Livia- he kissed her cheek- anything for you. But you owe me dinner!" _

_Livia stood in the small cabin that contained all the control panels for the oxygen supply center. Her expression shifted after a couple of minutes staring at the multiple screens that surrounded the room. Her boyfriend waited by the door, staring at his watch "Livia, the meteor shower starts in 20 minutes." _

_"__Alex, I think you better get in here," Her voice sounded worried, and he entered the room. _

_"__Look at this levels. This can't be right," She pointed at the center screen, the one that signaled the oxygen left in the ark._

_Alex's eyes went from bored to shock in about two seconds. "There has to be a leak. Or a malfunction, maybe the screen is wrong. We should restart it."_

_"__I tried that. It's not the screen. It has to be a leak" She franticly pushed around buttons on the dashboard, hoping to find the problem. A blueprint appeared in the screen, the one that showed the grid of the oxygen distribution- a red area was highlighted, not far from the control room. "We have to fix it- she urged the boy- it's dropping fast"_

_"__We should call Jake- he pleaded- we might be in over our heads" _

_"__By the time we get to him and he gets here, more than half of the oxygen reserve will be gone. We have to do it fast"_

_Alex genuinely doubted as to what to do. She was right, but what if they couldn't fix it? Time was ticking and they were running out of options. But either choice was risky, so finally he agreed. "Ok but we still have to let him know." He ran down the long hallway and disappeared behind a glass door for a couple of minutes. A man came out of the room and walked hurriedly in the opposite direction. Alex came running back, and taking her by the hand he said- "There. Let's go" _

_They found the leak easily enough, it was within sight of the control room, but fixing it was a whole other thing. Alex was fidgeting around, tools in hand, frustrated- "I can't fix it. This thing is stuck and I can't reach it"- he whispered, emerging from the vent where the failure had started._

_"__Ok I'll do it then". She gave him a reassuring look, and started climbing inside the duct. "Hey go to the control room ok? And if the levels change or the leak stops, yell, so I know it's done"_

_"__Ok" _

_He ran to the room, and suddenly, the numbers started to stabilize. "Hey Livia-he screamed-I think it's working…yeah it stopped" But suddenly, the numbers went off again, this time faster- "Wait! It's getting worse!" _

_Livia could barely see anything on the darkness of the vent, and she heard the muffled screams of Alex saying it was working. But as she started to climb down, she got stuck in the machinery. She tried to free herself as carefully as possible, but it wasn't working. She managed a swift move that liberated her, but instantly she heard her boyfriend's muffled screams "it's getting worse! Livia do something!" as fast as she could, she started repairing her mistake, but in the 4 minutes that it took her to do it, she knew the damage had been massive. Why didn't I wait? She reprimanded herself. I fucked it up. Alex's voice took her out of her thoughts. He was waiting for her beneath the vent, and he said, "It's done Livia. Come down. You fixed it" _

_She crawled out, but she didn't felt like she had fixed anything. "I didn't. I made it worse. 4 minutes, Alex, 4 freaking minutes. How much did we lose? How much is there left?" he avoided her eyes, and looked down, whispering-"maybe we should wait for-" but she didn't wait until he finished the sentence, instead she ran to the control room. _

_He followed her, and found her standing, silently staring at the red numbers on the screen. Her face was a mixture of disbelief and hopelessness. She took her hands to her face, and running them through her hair in despair, she mumbled "I fucked it up Alex… I really messed up" _

_"__It'll be ok. I promise," He said, as he locked his arms around her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. _

After everything that happened, Livia had no stomach to be near Jasper anymore. She went out of the dropship, to the open air, and nothing smelled sweeter, after hours of breathing the stale air of the ship, mixed with Jasper's blood and sweat. She spotted Bellamy, who was gathering hunting gear, and on a crazy impulse, she approached him "Hey, Freckles! Where are you going?"

"Where do you think? I'm going hunting. You should go back and take care of your friend." He said glancing at the ship.

"Are you insane?" She said making her way to him; grabbing a spear from his hands

"I'm not staying in here with him. He's driving me insane. I'm not stupid- I know he's dying. I just can't bear to be here when it happens. _If _it happens- she corrected herself- I'm coming with you. He's my friend, but I can't hear him one more second. Monty and Clarke will look after him."

"Whatever. Can you even hunt?"

"I have my skills. Don't you worry about that"

"Fine. Suit yourself"

They walked around the woods all day, searching for any wild animal they could eat. Bellamy was not only thinking about hunting, but for a way to finally take Livia's wristband.

But when he glanced at her arm, he found nothing but skin. It was finally off.

He tried real hard to stay quiet, but he was far too intrigued by the girl's sudden change of mind, so he asked, attempting to sound casual.

"So where's the wristband Rhodes?"

"Monty took it off…we were trying to reverse-engineer them to contact the ark. Lucky for you, that didn't work. And well, you know, since I'd be in the bottom of that thorny pit if it weren't for you, I figured I owed you that much. I don't like having debts. Besides, Clarke would never take hers off voluntarily, so I don't really think it matters that much. I still don't like you Freckles, so don't get too cocky about it"

"Wouldn't dream of it" He answered with a smirk.

It was a while before they found any animals, but then finally, they encountered a huge wild boar. Bellamy was the first one to attempt the hunt "Shh" he whispered, "she's mine"

He lifted the axe he held in his hand, ready to throw a fatal blow to the animal, when an abrupt noise startled him, coming from behind them. Without hesitation, he turned his back and threw the axe in the direction of the noise. The boar, frightened by the commotion, started running, and Livia, by an instinct she ignored she had, threw the spear in her hand, catching the boar in the skull.

Bellamy's eyes went back and forth from the place where his axe landed, to the boar, to Livia. To say he was surprised was an understatement. But the sob of a little girl caught his attention- she was standing right next to the tree where the axe was.

"Who the hell are you?" He inquired at the girl

"I'm Charlotte" She looked so scared, her voice trembling

"I almost killed you"

Livia shook her head at the lack of tact of Bellamy, and she walked to Charlotte.

"He doesn't have the best manners Charlotte, you'll have to excuse him. –She said smiling warmly at the girl- but what he means is that the woods aren't safe. Why aren't you back at camp?"

"Well… with that guy who was dying, I just… I couldn't listen to him anymore," She explained

Atom, another one of Bellamy's followers, stood next to them, and with a disapproving tone, he said

"There are grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl"

"I'm not little" she spat, clearly offended.

"Still, he's right Charlotte. It's not safe out here. Maybe you should go ba –"

"Ok then- Bellamy interrupted, earning a tired look from Livia- "But you can't hunt without a weapon" He then offered a knife to the girl, who nervously accepted it.

"Ever killed something before? –He continued, smiling playfully at Charlotte-Who knows, maybe you're good at it" And with that statement, he started walking again.

Livia sighed. This guy was something else. And there was no way any of this would end well.

Once the boar was bagged and tagged, they continued roaming the woods, looking for something else to hunt. But it wasn't long before another one of earths many calamities befall them.

A thick, bright yellow fog started to invade the woods. As much as they didn't know about earth, everyone agreed that the fog couldn't mean anything good. Everyone started running around like headless chickens, as Bellamy tried his best to guide everyone somewhere safe, but still, the hunting party was divided.

"Come on! - Bellamy shouted- "I think there are caves this way"

Livia ran behind Bellamy, trying to keep an eye on Charlotte, who was too slow and struggling to keep up with them. Bellamy then signaled Livia to the nearest cave as he held Charlotte's hand, helping her speed up her pace. Out of breath, the three of them made it to a nearby cave, behind a thick array of bushes.

"Bellamy!" Atom called from outside. He left the cave, desperately looking for his friend, but he couldn't see him, and the fog was invading everything in a matter of seconds.

Livia heard the screams too, and she propelled herself out of the cave, and tried to make out where the sounds were coming from. She went as far as she could, and suddenly a burning pain covered her arm. The fog had touched her. A strong hand dragged her by the shoulder, and directed her to the cave. He then attempted to get back out, but she stood in the entrance of the cave. "No. You're not going back out there. Want to end up all like this?" She said, showing Bellamy the burned skin in her arm.

"Atom is out there," He said.

"It's too late. If the fog caught him, there's nothing we can do. And if you go out there, you'll be dead too. We have to make the hard choices, remember? Anyway, there's a good chance he made it to a cave with the others."

He didn't seem too content with the explanation, but he also didn't try to leave again.

"We should all try to rest- Livia said- we don't know how long we'll be in here"

That was the one thing they all agreed on.

Livia tried to sleep, but she had too much on her head. Every time she thought she was beginning to understand how earth worked, something new came flying at her, attacking.

Bellamy couldn't sleep either. The thought of his friend on the fog was hunting him. The only one who slept peacefully was Charlotte. She looked even younger like that.

In order to avoid the horrible thoughts, Bellamy asked Livia

"How's your arm?"

"It hurts like a bitch"- she blurted out unconsciously, forgetting Charlotte was there- "sorry"-she whispered, glancing at the sleeping kid.

Bellamy smiled, in a way Livia had never seen before, a genuine smile, warm and almost innocent.

"It's ok- he answered-she's sleeping"

"So are you going to tell me what's your story?" Livia told him

"What story?"

"Why do you want them to think we're dead?"

"I'll tell you. But only if you tell me why are you here."

"Ok. But you go first"- She said, trying hard not to smile.

He didn't know if he wanted to tell her the truth. But there was something about her that made him think he could trust her. Yes, she annoyed the shit out of him, but still…

"I did something bad. Something real bad, so that I could get on the dropship, to protect Octavia."

"So? We all did bad stuff. That's why we're here."

"No. Not like this. You don't get it. This, this will buy me a direct ticket to an execution chamber. Or at least to being prisoner the rest of my life, and I won't have that."

"And if we're dead, they don't come, and you'll be free."

"Basically"

"Fair enough. I still don't think what you're trying to do is right. But I guess I can understand. I'd do the same if there was someone left that I loved"

"Your turn Rhodes"

"Well, I really didn't want to hear Jasper anymore. Plus, I was bored. Is that enough?"

"You know that's not what I meant. Why were you in solitary? What was all that crap about having so much blood on your hands? It surely can't be worse than what I did. And besides, your dad knows Kane and every single councilor on the ark. He'll save you, no matter how badly you screw up"

"You keep saying that, like I'm lying when I tell you he is a monster. But see, the thing is, no matter what I do, he will always hate me. I mean, I guess he loves me because he hast to, but he also hates me. And he'll always blame me for my mom's death"

"Is it true? Did you get your mom and boyfriend floated?"

"I fucked it up. Back on the ark, I was an engineer. My boyfriend Alex, and me, we worked with Clarke's dad. One day he asked me for some information about the oxygen levels on the ark. There was a failure. It was bad, real bad. And then I tried to fix it. Eventually I did, but the damage was done. Either way, we tried to warn everyone in the ark, but apparently, Wells told his dad the whole thing, and they captured us before we could do it. My mom knew about it and she was on the council, so she got floated. And Alex… well he was executed too."

"So, the ark is really dying?"

"Yes- they don't have much time left. That's why we're all here. They did want to see if earth was survivable. But they also needed to buy themselves time. The failure needs spare parts they don't have. And the oxygen that's left, it's not enough for the time it'd take to fix it without the parts."

"Well I'm sorry…for them and for you. But it doesn't change anything for me"

"I didn't think it would."

Her vacant stare wandered around the cave.

Bellamy struggled with his words. He didn't know if he could trust her, but in a fit of weakness, he let the words flow out of him, ignoring his better judgment.

"I shot Jaha"

Relief came to him, the burden of the secret had been heavy this past few days.

Across from where he was sitting, the astounded brunette mouthed an incredulous "wow!" this was definitely not what she was expecting.

"Freckles, I hate to agree with you, but yeah, if they do come down, you're pretty much screwed"

The boy didn't answer he simply nodded slightly. His troubled eyes made him seem older, and tired, as if he was carrying the weight of the world.

He looks like I feel… Livia thought, and before she could say anything else, the world became fuzzy, and she gave up to the somnolence.

She must have slept for hours, when an abrupt awakening almost got Livia to run over Bellamy, until she realized the terrified screams were coming from a very sleep Charlotte. Bellamy clumsily stood up, sleep still stuck in his eyes-"Charlotte!" "Wake up!"

"No! No!" she retorted, still somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.

Livia kneeled down besides the girl, and softly told her "Hey, Charlotte, wake up, it's ok, you were dreaming, see? We're here, it was just a nightmare"

It took a few moments until Charlotte realized what was happening. Shame tinted the little girl's face, and looking down she mumbled - "I'm sorry."

Bellamy gaze at her the way one might look at a little sibling, and he asked, "Does it happen often?" she nodded in response. "What are you afraid of?" No answer. "You know what? – He continued-It doesn't matter. The only thing that matter is what you do about it"

She threw a sketchy look at Bellamy

"But…I'm asleep"

"Fears are fears kid. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there when you go to sleep."

"But how?"

"You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death…_fear _is death."

Livia was afraid to where Bellamy's whole speech was going, and even though deep down she knew he probably had the best intentions, she still whispered to the boy

"Hey. That may not be the best piece of advice to give to a 13 year old, you know?"

He shrugged off Livia's words with a dismissive gesture, and he told Charlotte-"Let me see that knife I gave you. Now, when you feel afraid, you hold on tight to the knife, and say 'screw you. I'm not afraid'."

Dubious, Charlotte repeated softly-"Screw you. I'm not afraid"

Bellamy looked at her smiling, as if he was encouraging her to try again.

She repeated, this time more sure-"Screw you. I'm not afraid!"

Pleased, he pat her in the back and said "Slay your demons kid. Then you'll be able to sleep"

"I just hope I'm not around when this comes back to bite you in the ass freckles" Livia muttered to Bellamy as she passed him, and then she continued at loud- "All right then, we've been in this damn cave long enough. Let's see if the fog has cleared yet"

He walked ahead, followed close behind by Charlotte and Livia. -"All clear…anybody out here? Jones?"

A scream reached their ears-"We're here!"

"Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?" Bellamy asked

"We made it to a cave down there. What the hell was that?"

"I don't know. Where's atom?"

The only response he got was a sea of blank stares.

"Hey, freckles, let's split up. We'll find him" Livia reassured him. He nodded lightly.

Everyone took off in different directions in the search for atom, and Charlotte and Livia walked side by side.

"Hey Charlotte…so what's what scares you so much? The nightmares?"

"My parents… they were floated. I see their faces every night. Like it was yesterday."

"So why were you in confinement?"

"They say I assaulted a guard"

"Wow you must be pretty strong."

Charlotte produced a sad smile.

"My mom was floated too, you know?"

"Really?" This sparked some interest in the little girls face.

"Yeah, about a year ago. It was horrible. I saw it… I still dream about that sometimes too. It's like even in my dreams, I lose."

"That's how I feel. I just want to make it stop."

"Yeah me too. But you know? Maybe we need to move on. I mean … people that hurt us aren't here. We could start over."

"Maybe" Charlotte sighed

"Shh-Livia said- I think I heard something"

She advanced stealthy, just to collide face first on her blonde friend. Finn and Wells were with her, not too happy.

"Clarke!"

"Livia? Where've you guys been?"

"We were trapped by the fog" She replied, pulling the sleeve of her jacket up, showing Clarke her burned arm.

"So were we… we took cover in an old van we found. Where are the others?" But the answer came from Charlotte, who was staring disheartened to a clearing a few feet from them. Bellamy was kneeling besides a body, abashed and trembling.

"Charlotte go back to camp," The girl didn't protest, disappearing into the trees.

Livia walked to the boys, crouching down by Bellamy, putting a hand on his shoulder. Atom must have been caught in the fog, and he lay down on the ground, covered in burns, like the one on Livia's arm, but ten times worse. Slow tremors rippled through him, and his voice was a ghost-like lament, almost unintelligible.

"Kill me," He implored of his friend. But Bellamy was just out of it. He couldn't bring himself to use the knife in his hand for the task his friend required of him, nor he was able to leave his side.

Livia felt her heart breaking for the freckled boy. If only a few hours earlier he had seemed much older, he was now just a little kid, horrified of the scene on which he had been forced to partake. She wanted so bad to help, but blood and exposed flesh made her extremely uncomfortable. She could barely stand the sight of her own arm. So she turned her eyes to Clarke, pleading her to do what neither she nor Bellamy could.

The blonde nodded and advanced to them, subtly taking the knife from Bellamy's hands.

"Atom. I'm going to help you ok?" She said in a soothing voice, running her fingers through his hair. She started humming an old song that Livia recognized immediately. It was the song her mother use to sing to her to fall asleep. She joined her friend's humming, and before the song was over, Clarke had pierced Atom's neck with the knife. The rattled breathing stopped.

_"__Alex, what's going on? What the hell happened?" He pushed her inside an old broom closet and shushed her. He hissed the words, barely audible-_

_"__Someone told the council the plan Livia. They captured Griffin and your mom. They're searching for us. We don't have much time. Promise me that you'll go along with everything I say." _

_A thin line of white light filtered through the edge of the metallic door, illuminating his green eyes. She could see the desperation in them _

_"__No. I won't let you do this. I won't let you take the blame for me. If anything, I should be to blame. It should be me, it's my fault." _

_"__It was no one's fault. But it doesn't matter now. If I take responsibility, they'll probably only float Griffin and me. Maybe your dad can get your mom and you some deal." _

_"__If Griffin himself couldn't get out of it, no one will. I'm not going to let you die for me Alex!" _

_"__Think about it…if I say it was all my idea, they'll think you were just helping because of me. I'll say you didn't know. That has to count for something. Livia, I have nothing left to lose. My family is gone. You're all I have. I couldn't live with myself. But you still have so much to live for; your dad counts on you. No one needs me."_

_"__I need you Alex. I need you! What am I supposed to do without you? I won't do it. And anyway, they know I was in charge of that section. It won't work" _

_"__If not for yourself, do it for your mom." He begged one last time_

_"__I –I don't know-" Suddenly the door of the closet opened violently and 4 armed guards entered the room, dragging them both to the brightly lit hallway. _

The sight of the camp had never been so welcomed, after the events of the past 24 hours. Livia couldn't wait to crawl into her sleeping bag and just forget everything. But Clarke had instructed her to go to the dropship so she could tend to Livia's burnt arm. _My arm for a good night's sleep, _Livia mused …

"Hi." She greeted Octavia, crossing the threshold to the second floor of the ship, wearing an exhausted smile

"I hear the patient is doing better," she said pointing to Jasper.

Octavia just smiled, and nodded as Jasper rejoiced from his bed

"Livia! Guess what? I didn't die"

Finally some good news

"I'm really glad you didn't die Jasper. Who would've bother me with silly jokes if you did?"

"Ha ha very funny"

"Livia-Clarke called- Come here… let's get your arm cleaned up"

"I've got to go Jasper, but I'm really happy you're ok. Is some badass scar you're gonna get dude. You can brag about it with the ladies"

"Believe me I will," He said with a grin.

The burns were severe, Clarke said, but they would heal with time and care.

"Just keep the arm covered. You don't want any infections"

"Ok doctor, I will" Livia responded, rolling her eyes playfully. "Well if you excuse me, I've got a hot date with my sleeping bag"

"Wait… I –I need to tell you something"

"Are you ok Clarke? You sound serious"

"Yeah it's just that… well I've been talking to Wells, and … I don't think he's the one that told Jaha. I think… I think it was my mom"

"Abby? No way…why would she? Jake was her husband… it makes no sense"

"Well, it's true"

"You know what? -She sighed- it doesn't matter anymore. I just want to leave that all behind. It's exhausting enough trying to survive this earth"

The blonde seemed just as tired as she was, and wearily answered "I just thought you should know"

"Thanks Clarke- She hugged her friend briefly- I have to apologize to Wells… I'll do it tomorrow. I'm just so tired right now"

"Yeah. I know the feeling. Good night"

"Night"

_

**so in response to a question that sharkswillruledaWORLD **asked in the reviews, well I considered to make her Kane's daughter, but there's a ton of oc's stories with that plotline so I threw her away. She's simply the daughter of a guard who once had Kane's job, and he lost it. However, her last name is not completely random. In the books, Rhodes was the last name of the vice-chancellor, a really corrupt guy. I guess Livia's father is based on him at some extent. And I thought that someone might make the connection between her and the guy in the books.


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